Ignorance is Bliss
by TheGodmother2
Summary: Walt and Vic find their way to each other. Something to lighten up the mood.
1. Chapter 1

Spring is the roughest. The turning of the leaves, the new growth, the sound of the birds singing their praises of a new birth and a new morn. Martha was taken from me five springs ago and I fight time as it tries to erase the little details and memories of her. Forgetting her would be my biggest failure as a man. The guilt of living, though, is lessening. It helps now that Cady and I spend some Sundays together and go visit her mom. Mostly, we just sit, telling Martha about all of Cady's accomplishments and spending time together. Martha would be very pleased with both of us and in turn it pleases me.

Bit by bit, Cady and Henry have hinted that I get back on with living and begin dating again but I avoid their hints and Henry's suggestions of double-dating. I remind Henry that we didn't double-date as gangly sophomores in high school and I'm not about to start now. I tried to ask Vic out a couple of months ago but that didn't go so well. I couldn't get the words out stumbled all over myself. It ended up sounding like an order instead of a question so I segued and dropped it. Vic, if she noticed, never said a word about it and that's how it's been. We make it through our day-to-day routine. On occasion, I hear the chides of the local fella's about working with a beautiful deputy but it doesn't happen too often. I think they are more scared if Vic found out about their smack talking than anything I could say but I suspect the look I throw them speaks for my thoughts and they usually shut up.

Vic strides into my office through the door as she knocks, "Hey Walt…..

"It's customary to wait for an answer when the door is closed and you knock."

"Oh really, well there's no one in here. What are you doing in here all by yourself?" Vic snickers at me and I know it's useless. Now I have both her and Ruby gliding in whenever they want to.

"What do you want?"

"Damn, who woke up on the wrong side of the bed today?"

I want to tell her it took me about two years to figure out I should sleep in the middle since losing Martha. That way there wasn't my side or her side just the middle. I stare at her waiting for the reason for the invasion.

"Walt, I was hoping I could take tomorrow off for a nice three day weekend. You know my last one didn't work out so well and I was kinda hoping not to be taken hostage this time."

I want to ask her what she's doing or who she is going with and for a very brief moment a hint of jealousy, that I am not accustomed to, rises to my lips but I ignore it.

"okay"

"okay"

I don't know if she wants me to protest or comment on her mention of Chance and the night that changed everything for us.

"Thanks". She turns on her heels and heads out. I stand to my feet but I don't know why. What the hell am I going to say? I have no right to ask. Vic goes back to her desk and I can see her texting on her cell phone. Well, it's confirmed,she has plans.

This is going to be a long weekend.

I retreat into the sanctuary of my office and slide out of my private door. I steer the Bullet on the open road and know instinctively where to go. Sitting on the beautiful hillside soaking in the burgeoning rays of sun warming my bones I finally ask Martha for permission. I head back home and get a head start on finishing the bookcase for the living room. I've kept my promise to Cady and have finished the roof, the porch and the shower. She can't help but comment when she comes over but I don't mind because it means she visits me more often.

The groans from my hunger pains grow so I figure the Red Pony it is for dinner. I saddle up to a stool and Henry brings me the dinner special.

"I see you are not the only one from your department who has graced me with their presence this evening." He nods peering over my shoulder.

I glance over and see Vic, decidedly dressed to kill and decidedly not dressed like a deputy, having dinner with Ted Womack, a local realtor. Again, my stomach falls out from under me as my heart stops. The same sinking feeling I felt this afternoon. I turn back to Henry and try to chew the bit of food in my mouth.

"Well, are you not going to say anything?"

"Nope."


	2. Chapter 2

"So, you and I are the only two eligible bachelors who have not asked Vic out since her divorce and considering that she is most assuredly your type I am wondering what my best friend is waiting for?"

"Nothin'"

"I have never known you to be a coward."

"Drop it, Henry"

"I will not."

We engage in a staring contest, which means nothing has changed since we were 8 years old.

"She is not Lizzie, Walt."

More silence.

"I do not know a woman within 5 counties that would be a more suitable match for a non-conversational intellectual sleuth and occasional pain in the ass such as you."

I refuse to answer Henry and realize I haven't taken a bite of my food since Henry brought my attention to Vic's dinner date. I drop ten bucks on the bar top and walk out not glancing at Vic or saying good-bye to Henry. My best friend heads me off and we square off in the parking lot.

"Let it go, Henry. Just let it go."

"No."

He is in front of me, hands on his hips, with that perfectly lined jaw glaring at me.

"Walter, I have decided I am not going to take care of you in your old age so I suggest you come up with a plan. A plan that does not involve you being neglectful of your heart. You are a mortal man after all and we all need love."

He's right of course but there are so many things stopping me; primarily, fear of rejection, and the fear of ruining our work together. Once our relationship changes it can't go back. Ever.

"Henry, I've thought about it. I've thought about it a lot, actually, but it's a bad idea. I mean would you date a waitress? " I immediately regret asking such a stupid question.

"Yes and while it may not have turned out well at least I had the courage to live."

That hurt. It hurt a lot because he is right.

"Well, I'm not going to break up Vic's date so I think I will head home. Night, Henry."

"Night"

"Walter." I turn to face the Cheyenne Nation. "I will catch you if you fall."

I nod in silence.

What am I doing? I know Henry is right. I know what I want but I just don't know how to get there. Instead of heading home I stay on the highway and just drive and just think. I find myself parked in front of Vic's house. I don't know why. She's not there. She's on a 3 day weekend with good ol' Ted. A light flips on inside the house and flips off. She's home. I don't see any unfamiliar cars in the driveway and I know she only has space for her work truck in the garage.

I find myself walking up her front walk and as I knock I realize I am being stupid. I turn around and almost make it to the mailbox.

"Walt?!" I hear her lilted voice.

I hear Henry's words in my head calling me a coward which makes me stop and turn, "Ah, hey."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, Vic. It's a mistake. I thought you were gone for that long weekend and I saw the light."

Vic stands in her doorway, gently silhouetted by her porch light, wearing a tank top and bikini panties.

"What? Why are you here in the first place. Get your narrow ass up here and tell me what the fuck is going on."

I'm pretty sure she noticed that I noticed she wasn't really wearing any clothes.

Her arms are folded across her breasts and her knees are together almost like she is half cold and half embarrassed.

"I don't want to interrupt your evening more than I already have."

"Walt Longmire don't make me come out there."

I meet her at the door.

"Vic, I don't really know I just sort of ended up here but…." She interrupts me.

"And I suppose you don't really know why you have been ignoring me for the past two months?"

"There are some things I just can't ignore."

I close the distance between us.

"Yeah, like what"

I put my arms around her waist.

"Like the way your hair shines in the morning from the filtered light at your desk or how you look at me when you don't think I notice but the one thing I really can't ignore…at least not any more…is the way I think about you and the way I feel about you."

We both occupy the doorway space, our bodies pressed together, and for the first time I really notice how little she is as I reach down and hold her chin in my fingers and gently kiss her lips.

"I should go."

Vic pulls me inside of her doorway and whispers in my ear, "No, I want you to ignore me some more."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Strong language in this chapter**_

Vic puts her hands in my back pockets and stands on her tip-toes to meet me half way as I lean down to kiss her wanting lips. I take my hat off and press it to the small of her back as our kiss grows longer and deeper. I wonder how long she has dreamed of this just as I have. My thoughts take a left turn when the singe of jealousy creeps back because I wonder if she kissed Ted like this. Vic pulls back and looks up at me, "What?"

I smile, a little faint, and figure my odds of expulsion if I tell the truth.

"Walt, what?"

"So, I was just thinking…..ah…you know…ah …you and Ted. Am I bustin' up your 3 day weekend? I mean he's not gonna come stormin' out of your bedroom…ah..or anything?" I laugh a little at the last little bit.

"You're so stupid sometimes."

"Stupid?"

"Yeah, and I can't believe you are jealous Walt Longmire."

I'm uncomfortable because I know whatever road she is about to take me down right now at the end I will be a fool. Vic walks over to her couch and motions for me to close the front door to which I hesitantly comply. I make my way over to the living room and have a dilemma. Do I sit on the couch beside her or do I sit in the lazy boy? I don't know what to do and my stomach tightens at my nervousness so I elect to stand.

"Walt, please, sit."

I don't move and think if I'm supposed to be this nervous, this turned on, this freaked out by staring at Vic in her underwear. I put my hat down and at her urging take off my coat and lay both down on the lazy boy taking the seat beside her on the couch.

"Why am I so stupid?" I ask patting my hair down a bit.

"Because I'm not fucking Ted. I'm not fucking anybody for that matter and it's not like I haven't had my chances if you must know."

I look down at my worn ropers and think I will need a new pair come Christmas. I realize my thoughts are a diversion to avoid how I really feel about all of this.

"Listen, you don't owe me any explanations. I mean it's not like we are married or even dating. You know. I mean you are single and you can do what you like."

"Ok, now, I don't know what to think when you do this shit, Walt. I mean are you being sarcastic or sincere? Kissing you is nice", she face flushed just a bit, "It's better than I imagined but I don't know what you want from me?"

She calls me on the carpet.

"I don't know."

"You don't know what? You don't know that I'm single? You don't know that I'm not sleeping with anyone?"

"Well, I know you wanted a nice 3 day weekend and then I saw you with Ted at the Red Pony and judging by what you were wearing I assumed he was your 3 day weekend. But then I found myself parked in front of your house."

Vic is most definitely pissed and most definitely at me.

"I think maybe I should go."

"It's official. You are stupid."

I lean forward and hold my hands between my knees. Henry's voice is loud in my head calling me out for being a coward and now in front of Vic with her basically saying the same thing I just don't feel so good right now. I mean I must be living some other guys' life because mine is completely unrecognizable.

"I don't know what everyone wants from me?" I can feel the anger swirl with the embarrassment I feel and I look up into Vic's eyes searching for an answer.

"Well, dumbass, I can't speak for everyone else but I want the truth. I'm actually tired of walking on egg shells around you not knowing what you think or what you want. I've sat in this very spot on more nights than I can remember wondering if I imagined what I felt with you when you were on that fuckin' mountain chasing Wayne or saving our asses at Chance's." Vic wiped a tear from her eye, "Or what I felt in your arms at the hospital. I know I didn't imagine it Walt but I will be damned if I will spend any more time in my life with a weak ass man and I never thought you were that but maybe I am wrong."

"I'm not weak."

I look up at her assuring that her eyes meet mine, "I needed to be ready. I needed to give myself permission to live again and reconcile my past with Martha. How could I expect to be a man for you if I wasn't ready, Vic? My hope is that it wouldn't take too long for me to catch up and lose you to a 3 day weekend with Ted. I'm thinkin' that's the reason I ended up at your house. Hoping I'm not too late."

I felt like throwing up right there on her couch.


	4. Chapter 4

Vic scoots over and sits next to me on the couch and puts her hand in mine.

"Hey, listen."

I turn to face her and feel even sicker from the adrenaline dump of having conquered a legitimate fear.

"Walt, that's the most words I have ever heard you speak at once. You realize that?" She smiles at me. "I'm ready if you are."

"What about Ted?"

"What's with you and Ted. He's my realtor. Walt, you know I have to sell my house because of the divorce and Sean agreed to wait until the market was a little more of a seller's market so we could get more out of the house. I wanted an extra day to get a head start on packing my things and getting the house ready to show."

"You always dress like that when you meet the realtor."

"First off, I cannot believe you are jealous. Second, have you ever once seen me out of uniform? Oh wait, you have, at your election party at Lizzie's. How is Lizzie by the way?"

I hang my head and shake it as I finally realize I have met my absolute match.

"Listen, pistol Pete, I figure if you can save it for me I can save it for you" and with that Victoria Moretti gave me the kiss of a lifetime where if you were to ask me I think I actually forgot my name.

When she lifts for air I am distinctly dizzy. My stomach actually rescues me by growling.

Vic laughs out loud. "Damn, Walt didn't you just eat dinner?"

"No, didn't finish."

"Well that may explain a lot."

Vic gets up and heads towards the kitchen. "Let me fix you right up. You are gonna need your energy."

I laugh and follow her into the kitchen wondering if she is going to cover up but not wanting her to.

"Scrambled eggs ok?"

"Yeah, perfect. Thank you."

She whips up the eggs and a couple of slices of toast and I demolish them. It's like we have been doing this for a million years. The comfort, the closeness, and the ease of being with her doing something simple like eating scrambled eggs.

I put my plate in the sink and take her hand and pull it around my waist.

"Thank you, for everything, Vic. Thank you for being you."

I kiss her, taking the lead this time, and dream of how wonderful this will be the rest of my life.

"Vic, let's do this right, ok. It's all I can do not to rip off that tee but let's wake up tomorrow and make sure this is what we both want in the morning. There's no going back once we change everything."

"You almost convinced me you weren't stupid, stupid."

Vic nearly jumped in my arms and we showered each other with kisses.

"I guess so cause I'm stupid crazy in love with you." With that, I can breathe again and begin to live again in the arms of Victoria Moretti.


End file.
